Jan 18, 2010
Posted by Lisa Milone on Jan 18, 2010 | 4 comments
I hope you had a wonderful weekend. This was the first truly relaxing weekend I’ve had since about mid-December. Friday night my friend Shelby came over to hang out and cook dinner. Sharing meals with friends is one of my favorite things to do.
We were making something pretty simple for dinner, so there was definitely a good reason to make dessert. I wasn’t sure what I was really in the mood for though – cake, pie, tarts, etc. It was down to pumpkin chocolate chip bread or apple pie. Apple pie won hands down. The pie was so delicious. You can’t really go wrong when you combine cinnamon, sugar, & fresh apples.
CRUST
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups GF Flour Mix
½ tsp salt
1 tsp organic cane sugar
1 tsp xantham gum
¾ cup coconut oil (room temperature)
1 egg lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
About 7 tbsp water
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, sugar, and xantham gum. Slowly add in coconut oil in small amounts until it becomes a course meal.
Add in the lightly beaten egg and the vanilla and mix with a fork until dough is formed. Note: Be patient, this takes a little bit of time.
Knead dough while slowly adding in water a tablespoon at a time. Once the dough is a good texture, stop adding water. If you add too much water, it will make the dough sticky and hard to roll.
Place dough on wax paper lightly coated with GF flour. Place another sheet (it might take two sheets layered) on top so that the dough is sitting between sheets of wax paper. Roll until the dough is flat and about a centimeter thick.
Peel the top sheet of wax paper off and flip the dough (still rolled out with the bottom wax paper on) over the pie dish. Peel the remaining layer of wax paper off and press the dough into the pie dish.
When I do this, the crust typically breaks. DON’T WORRY! If it does break, just piece the dough together to cover the dish. Trim any overhang off of the edges. You can probably tell in the picture I posted that I did this ☺ Crumble any pieces of remaining dough, mix in a little bit of sugar and cinnamon, and save for topping.
Using a fork, poke several holes in the bottom of the crust.
FILLING
Ingredients:
6 medium granny smith apples
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup organic cane sugar
2 tbsp melted coconut oil or GHEE
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp lemon juice
Peel, core, and slice apples. Place in a large mixing bowl and add lemon juice. Stir.
Melt two tablespoons of coconut oil or GHEE. Mix this with the brown sugar, cane sugar, and cinnamon. Mix with the apples.
Spoon apples into the crust until the pie is filled to the top of the pie dish. Pour juices over the top and sprinkle with the leftover crust crumbles.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350, and bake for 20 more minutes.
Enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (coconut ice cream is my new fav!).
Jan 14, 2010
Posted by Lisa Milone on Jan 14, 2010 | 6 comments
I have a confession to make. I have a sweet tooth and I think I always will. Baking cookies and cakes from ingredients that I had never heard of seemed like an expensive risk to take. I decided that instead of trying to create a recipe from scratch, I really needed to just find a great recipe to satisfy my sweet tooth. Luckily, my lovely co-worker Jordan told me about the BabyCakes cookbook! I immediately went out to buy it and was so pleased to find so many tasty recipes. It was honestly pretty difficult trying to only pick one recipe to make last night. I decided to go for something classic – chocolate chip cookies! If you don’t already have the cookbook from BabyCakes, click here to get the details. I highly recommend it! Also, be sure to visit their website for more information about the bakery!
Ingredients:
1 cup coconut oil
6 tablespoons homemade applesauce or store-bought unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1¼ cups evaporated cane juice
2 cups Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free,
all-purpose baking flour
¼ cup flax meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons xanthan gum
1 cup vegan chocolate chips (I used the Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips)
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 325. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, applesauce, salt, vanilla and cane juice. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, flax meal, baking soda and xanthan gum. Using a rubber spatula, carefully add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until a grainy dough is formed. Gently fold in the chocolate chips just until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
I didn't have a melon baller, so I just rolled about a tablespoon of dough into a ball.
3. Using a melon baller, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the portions 1 inch apart. Gently press each with the heel of your hand to help them spread. Bake the cookies on the center rack for 15 minutes, rotating the sheets 180 degrees after 9 minutes. The finished cookies will be crisp on the edges and soft in the center.
4. Let the cookies stand on the sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely before covering. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
I can’t say it enough – I LOVE THESE COOKIES! My friends, family, and co-workers love them too. My favorite way to eat these is with a glass of chilled almond milk. It’s perfection! I hope you give them a try!
Jan 12, 2010
Posted by Lisa Milone on Jan 12, 2010 | 8 comments
Happy Tuesday! I don’t know about you, but I’m still trying to get used to a normal schedule now that the holidays are over. I really miss sleeping in, but black tea every morning has been a huge help! I have wanted to try a new brand of tea lately. Any ideas?
I wanted to share this simple, healthy recipe. Pico & chips is a long time favorite of mine. Pico de Gallo is easy to prepare and tastes great with chips, added to taco salad, and is even a tasty addition to an omelet in the morning.
Pico de Gallo
Ingredients:
6 Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
½ onion, finely chopped
½ jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
½ cup chopped cilantro
Juice of one lime
Salt & Pepper
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and chill for an hour. Serve with tortilla chips.
Tortilla Chips
Ingredients:
12 6″ sprouted corn tortillas
1 cup coconut oil
Salt
With a pizza cutter or large knife, cut the tortillas into quarters.
Heat oil over medium to medium-high heat in a large saucepan or skillet. Tip: if the oil is the correct temperature, it should bubble up when a tortilla slice is dipped in.
Fry the pieces for 1-2 minutes on each side. They should be crisp when they’re ready. If they still bend, they aren’t ready yet.
Remove with a large spoon or tongs. Place the chips on paper towels to cool and sprinkle with salt.
Jan 8, 2010
Posted by Lisa Milone on Jan 8, 2010 | 14 comments
I planned on posting this earlier today but as always, I’m a tad behind. 
I just sat down in IL with a cup of hot raspberry tea in hand. Snow is still coming down outside and I couldn’t be happier. I love winter weather. I also love fries, which brings me to my next recipe. Sweet potato fries! I have always loved fries but knew there had to be a healthier option than deep fried white potatoes. I was overcome with joy when I figured out you could make sweet potato fries. Watching what you eat after the holidays? That’s okay! These are healthy so go ahead and indulge in these tasty fries.
SWEET POTATO FRIES
Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil or more if needed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
*See avocado dip recipe below.
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
I don’t typically peel the potatoes, but I’ve had the fries with and without it. They taste great both ways! Cut sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch strips.
Toss the sweet potato strips in a large bowl with olive oil (enough to coat), salt, and pepper.
Spread the potatoes onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Be sure to leave a least a little space between each fry. If the baking sheet is overcrowded, the fries won’t cook as evenly.
Place the baking sheet in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn fries over and bake about 15 more minutes, or until slightly browned. Serve with avocado dip. I also dip these in ketchup, dijon mustard, or honey mustard – they taste great alone too!
AVOCADO DIP
Ingredients:
1 avocado
½ cup mayonnaise *I have yet to find mayo without soy, so I make my own. Click here for the recipe. Thanks Choosing Voluntary Simplicity!
¼ tbsp onion powder
1 lime juice
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. I don’t have a blender (it’s on my wish list), so I used my Magic Bullet. Blend until smooth. Place it in your favorite bowl, season with salt and pepper, and serve with the baked sweet potato fries!
Have a great weekend!
Jan 6, 2010
Posted by Lisa Milone on Jan 6, 2010 | 12 comments
Before I found out that my body couldn’t handle cows’ dairy, I wouldn’t have even tried goat cheese. I have to admit it wasn’t my favorite thing at first, but now that I have acquired the taste for it, I absolutely love it! This dish is a regular for me whenever I want to cook something out of the norm. I hope you enjoy the recipe. If you have never tried goat cheese, I encourage you to give it a try!
Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
4 chicken breasts
4 oz creamy goat cheese
1 red pepper
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried rosemary
5 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 tbsp Chicken Stock
Preheat oven to 350°.
Slice the red pepper lengthwise into thin strips. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Sauté in olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes.
Mix the goat cheese with thyme, basil, and rosemary. Leave a couple pinches of the seasoning mix for the top of the chicken.
Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each chicken breast to form a pocket.
Spread 1/4 of the goat cheese on one side of each chicken pocket. Place a few strips of red pepper on top of the goat cheese. Fasten the chicken pocket using either cook’s string or wooden skewers.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned on one side. Place chicken breasts in a glass baking dish (browned side up) with chicken stock and remaining olive oil. Top the chicken breasts with remaining herb mix and any remaining pepper slices. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until fully cooked.
I would LOVE any feedback. Was the recipe easy to follow? Did it turn out great? A complete failure? Seriously, I’m a fan of honesty. All thoughts are appreciated.
Hi, I’m Lisa. My body isn’t too fond of gluten, cow’s dairy, or soy. 